im actually looking at getting this

My son loves Farm Simulator 2011 I think it is. He digs the tractors and all that. I have to admit, I was sucked in for a few hours trying to get the harvester thingy to work with the thing that drives next to it and catches the corn. I can see the appeal to it..

This is my son's favorite video on You Tube:

I have the 2011 version of Farm Simulator and while its correct the game is buggy (random crashes, etc.) it is fun, for awhile anyway. What really helps, as someone mentioned above, are the mods. There is a *huge* modding community behind FS 2009 and 2011.

If modding is available, bugs are fixed and expanded gameplay I'll consider buying this.

I know this isn't the normal cup of tea for most of you, but looking at it from a pure strategic standpoint, you might consider it. You start off with old equipment and a limited amount of money. Buying seeds to plant in your fields, of course, takes money and the crops that return the higher profit, cost more. So you have to balance what you have in the bank compared to what you can afford to plant. After you get some income you can buy cows, which produce milk (if you feed them) which supplies you with a steady income and way to fertilize your fields to increase your crop yields. After getting some money saved up, you can buy larger/better tractors/implements to harvest your fields quicker. You can play the game in real time, which I like too.

However, after you reach a certain level the game becomes repetitive. You have the best equipment and money in the bank, there's nothing else to "work" for.. the game does include multi-player capability which slightly increases it's value.

lol biggles, step away from the broon

Wait wait wait. Real time like you mean you plant your seeds and then wait for months to harvest them? I mean, you get to the sell / buy new equipment like twice a real year?

The only problem is you have to run it in real time otherwise time does not pass if the game is not running. Then they come out with a new upgrade every year (read 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) which forces you to start fresh every year. It is really hard to scratch a living out like that!

lol - no - crops grow at an accelerated rate, even though a few hours have passed in real time. (Depending on the crop)

Although, as modifiable as the game seems to be, you could probably edit the crop growth rate to simulate real crops.

Will this "sim" let you grow poppy seeds and hemp?

Yeah..then you can cash in your money, but some gold plated AKs and it becomes a first person shooter! Woo-hoo!